


Maybe If...

by CheesyNinja4ever



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angst, Good Beelzebub, Good Gabriel, Hurt/Comfort, I wrote this instead of studying, M/M, NO Swearing, No Sex, Nobody knows what is happening, Post-Canon, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, not even me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheesyNinja4ever/pseuds/CheesyNinja4ever
Summary: When everything goes haywire, Gabriel, Beelzebub, Crowley and Aziraphale are left to pick up the pieces.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Beelzebub/Gabriel (Good Omens)
Kudos: 3





	Maybe If...

**Chapter 1**

Out of all the possible things Aziraphale expected to be able to make Crowley leave him for good, a small fight, especially one that he couldn’t even remember the reason for, was not one of those reasons. The only thing he remembered of the fight was that they were both horribly drunk and said things that they didn’t mean. He was sure that Crowley would understand that he never meant any of the drunken accusations. All that Crowley had left for him was a note that said that he was leaving for good and Aziraphale was not allowed to follow him. It felt like his very soul was being crushed. After all the things he did for Crowley, including literally walking into Hell for him, this was how it all ended. Aziraphale just couldn’t believe it, he was sure they were even more ineffable than the Ineffable Plan. He didn’t know what went wrong, but he was sure he could fix it, he just needed to find what went wrong and Crowley would come back. He was sure of it.

_ Maybe if the plants had grown better, Crowley would return. _

After being abandoned for days in Crowley’s flat, the plants were practically begging for somebody, anybody at all, to come and give them water. They noticed the door of the plant room opening immediately, and were overjoyed to sense one of Crowley’s favorite visitors, Angel. It only took a few seconds for all of them to notice something was wrong. They could not feel the warmth that usually radiated from him like a miniature sun, and his presence almost felt like the cold harshness that was simply a fact of life in Crowley’s flat. For the first time, he did not utter any kind words or lovingly smile at a wilting plant, he just mindlessly watered them. They had been expecting a ray of light on a cloudy day, only to be given snow. All of them shook in fear, not just for themselves, but for Angel too.

_ Maybe if he looked just a bit different, Crowley would have stayed. _

Regular customers (Well, the closest thing there is to customers, considering the lack of actual buying) at  A.Z. Fell and Co were all shocked at the owner’s sudden mood change. They all silently agreed to not mention it, after all, he was probably in mourning or something. He sure looked like he was at someone’s funeral. None of them know why or how they somehow all came to the same conclusion, but some believe that it was simply the shock of the cheery, although often rather rude, man deciding to wear all black and buy a pet boa constrictor. It was rather frightening, really, to a point where even more people started to avoid the “bookshop”. Almost nobody ever saw Mr. Fell outside of his house anymore, he practically just disappeared. Rumors of his whereabouts were soon heard more often than Mr. Fell’s voice. 

_ Maybe if he was just a bit meaner, someone would care. _

Aziraphale had given up hope that Crowley would ever come back. It had been only months since The Fight, which was a short time for angels and demons, but it felt like lightyears. He had been living at Crowley’s flat for almost the entire time, he didn’t call it a self-punishment, but he didn’t need to. He knew that was why he was there, why he hadn’t just given up on everything. He still couldn’t bring himself to destroy the plants and replace them with ones that never met Crowley, instead he just cut off the parts of the plant that were not perfect. He wished he could be as heartless as Crowley had been, but as Crowley constantly reminded him, Aziraphale was an angel. Aziraphale sometimes wondered whether that was why Crowley didn’t stay. Afterall, even Aziraphale was always telling Crowley that an angel and a demon would never work out, not even as friends.  _ I’m an angel. You’re a demon. We’re  _ _ hereditary enemies!  _ Today he finally hardened his heart enough to destroy one of Crowley’s plants, which had been unlucky enough to be the closest one with a leaf spot. “Grow better!” he screamed, tears running down his face. On that same day, he got the first taste of hope in months. A young boy claimed to know someone who had seen a person who looked like Crowley. Aziraphale took it as a sign that he was making some progress. 

  
  


_Ever since I_ _got that awful letter, I have been running and hiding._ It broke my grayish soul thing. Demons didn’t have hearts, that was a fact written in stone. Either way, it still hurt so much. I had to break Aziraphale’s trust and heart to keep both of us safe, he doesn't know that, but it’s better that way. Otherwise, we both would be dead. Our great friends Downstairs would not hesitate to kill him if I didn’t obey them. _They know we tricked them, and if I don’t obey, Heaven will know too._ Heaven would not have mercy, so much for perfect creatures of love. _Not like I ever believed their lies._ Aziraphale was the only one who ever made him believe in anyone, even himself. Now that was all gone, and it would never come back. I felt myself being pulled into a demon summoning circle and I didn’t even have time to scream before I felt myself start to lose consciousness. _Help, please, somebo..._

I woke up tied onto a chair in the summoning circle. “Good day, Mr. Aingeru. I believe you know something I want to know,” the man in front of me stated calmly.  _ You could have just asked me, you know. Didn’t have to go through all the trouble kidnapping me, you could have just called.  _ “I know what you are probably thinking. Why go through so much trouble for one measly piece of information? Well, I’ll tell you, demon,” the man continued, despite the obvious shock on my face, “Yes, I know you are a demon. I also heard that you know the location of a certain renegade demon. I believe you know who I’m talking about.”  _ He’s looking for me! I can’t blow my cover now, he’s probably some assassin my best friends Downstairs sent to finish me off. _

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Mr … now what did you say your name was?” I lied, trying to hide my nervousness behind a snarky remark. I knew he didn’t tell me his name, but I needed something to distract him from the subject. It didn’t work, he looked furious. I must have hid my nervousness too well, because he looked like he believed every word of what I said.

Turning to a boy, who only looked around ten, he screamed, “You promised with your life that this one knew something! Do you know what a life promise is at all? Take him away!” I tried to keep calm, I was a demon, I couldn't blow my cover for a boy. Not even an innocent ten year old who had so much ahead of him. Not even one that hadn’t even been lying. The boy gulped and started backing away, but I saw one of the guards pull out a gun and aimed it right at his head. “No! I’ll tell you! Just let him go!” I screamed, despite my own protests. I couldn’t let an innocent child suffer, even though I was a demon, I just couldn’t be that heartless. The still nameless man looked at me curiously, most likely wondering why a demon like me would give up lying for some kid. I wouldn’t be able to tell him, afterall, even I don’t know why. 

“You will tell me, just like that? You sure are one strange demon,” he remarked, “This is going to be easier than I expected. If you escape, I’m afraid that your new friend over here will pay the price for your disobedience.” That comment left me fuming, how dare he play with my weakness like this!  _ The weakness that I let him know, so it really isn’t his fault that he … I can’t even hate my captor anymore! What is wrong with me? _

“No need to ask me useless questions, I will tell you everything you need to know. I am the demon you are looking for. Now let the boy go,” I declared boldly. It would be better to just tell him before I chicken out, anyways. The mood in the room immediately changed, there seemed a tense feeling in the air. The mystery person lunged at me with a knife in his hand, but he suddenly backed off. The summoning circle keeping me captive was now my shield from him.  _ Irony at its finest. _ He changed tactics, holding the knife in his hand to the boy’s neck instead. 

“Prove it! You have shown yourself to be quite the liar. How can I tell whether this is just another ruse to protect yourself and your new friend over here?” he yelled. That was when I noticed the plants growing on the walls were shaking in fear. Only a few plants in the entire world shook in fear.  _ How dare they do this! _

“You … This is my flat! How dare you take it over and use it for your own benefit!” I yelled, finally gaining the courage to yell back at him. “This is my flat, not some secret base you can use whenever you want!” The knife finally dropped to the ground. “So, are you still a monster, or are you going to let me go?” I snapped. My captor was obviously testing his words, making sure they sounded perfect.  _ Finally, I will be let free. _

“What kind of question is that?” he asked nervously, “Still a monster?”  _ No, no, no.  _ “What else would I be, an aardvark?” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Chapter 2**

The look on Mr. Aingeru’s face made what he said seem more likely, but I just couldn’t connect the person tied up in the demon summoning circle to my best friend. It did make sense, he was protecting the life of the boy who had found him. “Aziraphale?” he gasped. My heart skipped a beat when I heard him say my name, but when he said it, it hadn’t been with love. He said my name in horror, he was scared. My best friend, my dear, my love, was  _ scared of me.  _ “Is that you, Aziraphale?” he whispered. 

“My dear, I have been looking for you for a whole year. Where have you been?” I sobbed. It was obvious that we were not in the best situation for a reunion, he was my prisoner and I was his captor. Not the best time to catch up over a cup of tea. It would be funny if I wasn’t a main character in the universe’s little comedy show. 

  
  


It was Aziraphale, there was no doubt in my mind now. I could now see behind the costume he was wearing, behind the pitch black clothing and cruel, hardened eyes, I could still see my innocent angel.  _ What have I done to him? _ “Angel? What happened?” I asked in shock. I was absolutely horrified at how much he had changed in just one year. He had been keeping the same clothing and look for literally millions of years, and now suddenly he looked so different that I could barely recognize him. 

“You left me,” he sobbed, “You left me and never came back because of one little argument!”  _ Aziraphale, I wish I could tell you the real reason why I left, but that would put you in danger. It’s pointless to hide it any longer, Crowley, he will find out one way or another.  _

“My old company knows about our switch, I had to leave to protect you,” I explained sadly. “Otherwise we would both already be dead by now.” 

“You should have told me! I would have understood! I would have helped you!” he yelled, grabbing a cup and throwing it to the ground. I just stared as the cup shattered on the floor. He continued talking to me like nothing happened. “Sorry about that, my dear. Just lost my patience for a moment. Don’t worry, everything’s just tickety-boo,” he told me calmly. Satan himself would be preferable to this strange, new Aziraphale. 

“If you don’t mind, I would prefer to not be tied up in a demon summoning circle when I’m talking to you,” I reminded him passive-aggressively. He immediately grabbed a stick and knocked one of the candles out of place, effectively breaking the circle. I should have noticed it earlier, but there was just too much going on before. “How did you even make this thing anyways, Angel?” I asked curiously. 

“Um, it … it wasn’t that big of a deal, really. Nothing much, just … chalk and candles,” he stammered.  _ Oh, Aziraphale, you still are quite a horrible liar.  _

“You really expect me to believe that?” I laughed as I miracled myself out of the rope he had used to tie me up. “You really made a demon summoning circle and prayed to Satan himself just to find me? I’m shocked, Angel.” Aziraphale looked away from me again, obviously embarrassed at my words. He mumbled something, but I couldn’t quite hear what he said. “What did you say, Angel,” I teased. 

  
  


I had to tell him, I couldn’t hide it from him forever. “Nothing! Everything is just tickety-boo!” my traitorous said anyways. He does not need to get worried over nothing anyways. “You still have not told me why you left me,” I reminded him, desperately trying to keep calm. 

“They know about our trick. They will let Heaven come for you when they realise you know,” Crowley explained. It took every piece of restraint I had in my not to smite him on the spot.  _ You could have just told me! I would have understood!  _ I needed a distraction for myself before I punched him in the face for his sheer stupidity. 

“Oh, I don’t think you have met Lucy yet! She would love to meet you! I’ve told her all about you!” I chirped, holding up my pet. 

“She’s … a snake? You got a pet snake, Angel?” Crowley asked hesitantly. I nodded happily. 

“She’s a nice little snake once you get to know her!” I told him defensively, but it was ruined when Lucy rose up as far as she could and hissed at him, baring her teeth. “Now, now, now Lucy. Be nice to Crowley for me,” I said, making sure to glare at her when Crowley was not looking.  _ I have to make sure she did not tell him too much.  _ “I’m sure you two snakes will get along just fine!” I laugh

“Angel, stop trying to change the subject! We need to run, they’ll kill you!” Crowley yelled. I sighed angrily and opened the door. As expected, the newest recruit in my group, the little boy that had found Crowley, had been leaning on it. “Yes, Master?” he asked innocently.  _ If you did not help me find Crowley, you would be snake food by now!  _

“Prepare the defences. I need some angels to be distracted for long enough to set my trap.” I explained while glaring at him. 

“Yes, Master! Right away Master!” he said, scurrying away. Confident that he would do as I said, I prepared a flamethrower at the doorway. “I will need your help for this part, my dear. This will need quite some planning,” I told Crowley. 

_ How can he just be so calm about planning a trap for angels coming to kill him? _ “What do I need to do?” I asked, petting Lucy. I suddenly stopped when I saw the birthmark on her forehead. The black shape looked exactly like a flame. “Wait, why did you call her Lucy?” I asked suspiciously. 

“I liked her birthmark, of course! So I called her Lucy Fire!” Aziraphale chirped.  _ There’s something strange about this snake. I can feel it.  _ “Now can you please be a … bad demon and help me make this shoot hellfire?” he asked casually. 

“Hellfire! That could kill you, Angel!” I screamed. 

“And holy water could kill  **you** ,” Aziraphale immediately replied.  _ Good point.  _ I snapped my fingers and made the flamethrower shoot hellfire. “There, was not that hard, right?” He asked with a fake softness and I fought back a sneer.  _ What had gotten into him?  _ I hissed at him and turned into a snake, slithering away with Lucy Fire. Might as well chat with her about Aziraphale while he was doing whatever he had planned.  _ “Sssso,”  _ I began awkwardly,  _ “Lucy Fire right?” _

_ “Are you really the famouss Crowley? Masster talksss about you very often,”  _ she replied.  _ “He actss very different when he talkss about you.”  _ I gulped and started panicking. In the background I could hear someone screaming and it sounded very painful. It took unbelievable restraint to not beg the Almighty to keep Aziraphale safe. 

_ “How ssso?”  _ I continued, trying to drown out the sound of the screams. They seemed to be ending anyways. 

_ “I can’t tell you that. He iss very ssstrict about what I can tell you about him.”  _ She told me evasively. I didn’t think that sounded very good. He probably told her all about how much he hated me. I heard two people talking, one was yelling about bluffing and the other was asking whether the first one really wanted to find out. I had no idea what was happening, so I just continued chatting with Lucy.  _ “Why musst you lisssten to him? You can do what you want. I won’t tell.” _

Lucy looked around, apparently making sure that nobody was listening.  _ “He sspeakss ssso … ssoftly when he tellsss me about his ‘angel of a demon’. He even ssmilesss when he thinkss about you.”  _ That really threw me off and I was sure the world was spinning. Each time I thought that I had made sense of this new Aziraphale, he surprised me. I was so shocked at how Lucy acted like the way he acted when talking about me was not the way he usually acted, I didn’t even complain about the “angel of a demon” comment. “You are calling the Almighty?” I heard somebody ask and I immediately had a flashback of my own trap I had laid out when the forces of Hell had come to try to take me away. “Yes. and the Almighty says …” Aziraphale was answering.  _ Don’t do it, Angel! Please for my sanity, don’t do it!  _ I thought desperately. “So long, sucker!” he yelled.  _ You did it. How dare you steal my idea! How dare you! I don’t know whether to be impressed, concerned or mad, so I’ll just be all three.  _

_ “There isss a third angel, and I think he isss looking for you, Crowley.”  _ Lucy whispered to me.

_ “He will kill me if he findss me, Lucy,”  _ I said nervously.  _ “What do I do?” _

_ “Leave it to me. He will face the wrath of Lucy Fire for daring to attack Masster!”  _ She yelled, quickly slithering at the angel. “There you are, you demonic little snake. You think you can trick me?” he sneered. “Let’s see how resistant you really are to holy water!”  _ Ha. I wish I could see the look on his face when she just keeps on slithering! _

“What are you?” he screamed, “ **What are you** ?”  _ She is Lucy Fire. Wait … Lucy. Fire. Lucy Fire. Lucifer? Why did you call her Lucifer, Angel?  _ “Get away from me, you … whatever you are!” the angel was still screaming.  _ Wimp,  _ I hissed quietly as I watched through the crack beneath the door. Suddenly, Aziraphale miracled into the room and smiled at the cowering angel with fake politeness. “I believe you have met my little pet,” he smirked, causally draping Lucy around his neck. “Don’t worry, the hiss is bigger than the bite … sometimes.” 

“Your … your eyes” the angel was stammering. “T-they …”

“I know!” Aziraphale growled. “Now get out before I burn you alive!”  _ Something tells me he’s not kidding!  _ The angel seemed to have the same realization, and scrambled out of my flat, still on all fours. “Now, Crowley, where have you hidden yourself?” He asked calmly, like he did not even notice the angelic ashes still on the floor by the doorway. 

“Ok, angel. Explain immediately!” I yelled,

  
  


I knew that I could not hide everything from him any longer, so I turned to face him, spreading out my wings. “Ang… Aziraphale … What is the meaning of this?” Crowley asked angrily. 

“I needed to find you, no matter the cost,” I told him softly, walking closer to him. Noticing that my wings had ripped my shirt, I swore under my breath. “If that cost was the color of my wings, then I say it was the best deal the devil ever made.” 

“A… Aziraphale, this is not a joking matter! You mean that you made a deal with Satan?! You Fell just to find a clue of where I was?” Crowley yelled.  _ I should have seen this coming.  _ “Is this,” he continued waving his hands around, “Really what you did when I left?” I refused to let him get away with that one. 

“You talk about how bad my coping mechanisms are, but you are the one who treats your garden like it’s Heaven, with all your plants as the angels, and you as the Almighty.” I snapped,” And don’t look at me like that, I know that’s how it is!”  _ A red, clawed hand reached out to him as the cold, cruel voice sneered, “Is it a deal, Azira _ **_fail_ ** _?”  _ “You left me! I don’t care why, you still did it!” I screamed, losing control again. I could feel my eyes shifting more and more into those of a fox, the mark on my back turning darker.  _ “Yes,” I told him confidently, “It’s a deal.”  _ I looked down to find my hands burning with Hellfire and gasped, quickly trying to get control over my emotions again. “Now you know,” I told Crowley sadly, “I’ve been a worse … being than you for hundreds of years, I just finally have started showing the proof. You’ve always really been the better one of us two.”  _ “Why must he have Fallen when I didn’t?” I screamed angrily, “Why did you let the best angel I have ever known be a demon for asking questions? I’m asking questions too, will you make me Fall as well for daring to question your … your stupid, useless, unlogical Plan?” Suddenly, I was on the ground, screaming in pain as my very soul burned to black.  _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Chapter 3**

I was still reeling in shock at the pitch black wings when I saw that his eyes were now those of a fox. I said things I knew I did not mean while I was still horrified at the turn of events, and now Aziraphale was on the floor, shaking in fear. “Aziraphale, nothing’s hurting you. It’s ok, Angel, you are safe.” he whispered. “You are in my flat and nothing will dare hurt you with me here, Angel.” When he couldn’t get a response, I kneeled down and saw that Aziraphale had fallen unconscious. After moving him onto the sofa, I went to check on my plants.  _ They probably have gotten soft, those ungrateful … Oh.  _ They were just as beautiful as when I had left them and even all still shook in fear when I entered. “I presume you know better than wilting while I was gone!” I yelled, “So I do not expect you to have any leaf spots at all!” Walking through the room, I noticed that some of my plants were missing and had been replaced with new ones.  _ “Lucy?”  _ I yelled, _ “I want you to tell me what the deal he made was. I know you have ssomething to do with it.”  _

_ “Around time you saw the truth, Crowley. He is my master. My job is to keep and eye on him and make sure he is safe. He saved my life and I am forever in debt to him.”  _ she hissed sadly, _ “He saved me before the deal even started. Back then, he called me Hellfire. I could only watch as he spiralled further and further out of control. I started to think you were just a myth, an impossible, miracle cure.”  _ I thought about when he had questioned me before he knew of my identity or I knew of his. The cold, cruel man dressed in black, ready to murder a child just to find me. He was not Aziraphale, the last time I truly saw Aziraphale was when I had left him for his own safety. As soon as Aziraphale ...  _ No not Aziraphale. Aziraphale is dead, this is not him.  _ As soon as  **the demon** woke up, I immediately ran over to him, “Look,” I told him, “Whatever happened, whatever the deal you made was, you have to tell me. Please, Azir… You need to tell me!” 

“Even when you don’t even dare say my name anymore? Fine, if you don’t want to, then you can just use the one I have been going by after you abandoned me!” he sobbed, immediately noticing my mistake. “Anthony Z. Fell. Before you ask, it’s just a Z. Don’t bother wasting your breath.”  _ He stole my name?! Is there anything he didn’t do that completely goes against his morals?  _

“Ok … Angel. You still can tell me what the deal was.” I told him, “Please, I need to know what you agreed to.” 

“I told you not to … ok. You can call me that if you want. I sold my soul to him. I’m just another one of his demons now. We are on the same side. We can really be on one side now!” Aziraphale told me.  _ Why did I just call him that? He sold his soul to Satan … for me. Always good, even when he’s doing evil, it’s still for the greater good.  _

“Just give me a bit … Angel. It’s still weird to see you in black.” I told him honestly. I went into my bedroom and immediately fell asleep for the first time in what seemed like ages. 

_ My beautiful creation, I have seen my errors. I can now see clearly that you were never meant to Fall. Forgive me, my little star-making.  _ She was saying in my dream.

_ You made me Fall, how can I forgive the pain I went through for asking you questions.  _ I yelled.

_ I forgive you, Raphael.  _ She told me sadly.  _ It’s too late for your friend, but you … you have so much potential. _

My eyes snapped open and I slowly unfolded my wings. My  **white** wings. No way. No. This could  **not be happening** . I was a demon, I was unforgivable.  _ Not anymore, apparently.  _ “Angel! Angel!” I yelled, before seeing Gabriel and Sandalphon standing before me. “Not the one you are obviously looking for, but at least we are actually angels. So it’s true, we have ourselves our first redeemed demon.” Looking back, I probably should have hidden my newly white wings. 

“Um … you guys missed me, by chance?” I stammered nervously. I had completely forgotten what the nervous wreck of an angel I used to be. “This might not be the … best reunion but … Hi?”  _ Just stop talking, you are embarrassing yourself! Aziraphale was calmer when he literally went to Hell twice for me!  _

“We missed having you on our side ... Raphael,” Gabriel told me kindly.  _ He’s lying! I know he is! He tried to kill Aziraphale!  _ “We would be proud to have you as one of us again!”  _ He’s lying … but is he?  _ I couldn’t believe that I was actually willing to forgive him, he killed my best friend! He hates my guts!  _ He had his reasons, Aziraphale did disobey his orders countless times. You can be forgiven for everything, Raphael.  _ Despite my better judgement, I was shaking hands with Gabriel and Sandalphon. “It’s good to be on the same side as you again, Raphael,” Gabriel declared with obvious pleasure. In fact, the Almighty is starting over with humans, this Earth will be kept, but angels and demons will both be moving to a new world with a new Garden of Eden. Here’s the best part, you will be guarding it! What do you say, Archangel Raphael?”  _ This is your big chance, Raphael. _

“Yes. I will guard the new Garden of Eden,” I told them confidently. A small part of me was whispering,  _ What are you doing? You are Crowley, the demon. These are your enemies.  _ I ignored it and skipped happily to my chance at redemption, not listening to the snickering angels beside me. I didn’t know why they were snickering, but I didn’t care.  _ Redemption! Yes! I can be redeemed! I am the Archangel Raphael, Guardian of New Eden! I like that, New Eden, I will tell them that one!  _ “How about we call it New Eden? I love the idea of New Eden. What do you two think?” They were snickering again, but Gabriel said, “It’s perfect, Raphael. You heard that, Sandalphon? The Almighty’s new project will be called New Eden.” I miricaled out of the flat with the two angels, grinning like an idiot at the thought of redemption.

  
  


Before I knew it, I was in Hell for the third time. This time, I had only just completed the paperwork to be a new “employee”. I had fully transformed into a demon by now. My hair had turned as black as my wings, my eyes were fully fox, and I could even turn into a fox. “All demonzzz! We will be moving to a new dimenzzion! The oppozzition are trying to make a new Eden!” Beelzebub proclaimed. “To prove hizzz worth, our newezzt recruit, Ziranofal, will ruin their planzz!” I stepped forward nervously, trying to look as confident as I had looked when I was pretending to be Crowley. The demons all gasped in recognition. 

“I rill not disappoint you,” I declared. As I expected, they jeered at my slight mispronunciation.  _ I really have to get the hang of my new body if I don’t want to embarrass myself.  _ I walked off, determined to prove my worth and survive this new, dangerous life. I mircaled myself into the desert where they had built … New Eden. Not very original, if I do say so myself. Turning into a fox, I climbed up the garden wall and jumped into the garden. It looked exactly the same as the last one.  _ White, fluffy wings. A shining halo. A slightly chubby but still perfect body. Smiles were so easy, especially around a certain demon … Back to work, Ziranofal! You can’t fail on your first job!  _ Still in fox form, I crawled towards the new Eve.  _ Who the angels, with their apparent lack of imagination, probably called Eve the second.  _ As we got closer to the apple tree, I continued whispering in her ear, persuading her that it was just one little bite. That no harm could possibly come from just one little taste of an apple. I smiled as Eve the second took a bite of the apple and handed it to Adam, who also took one.  _ Mission complete, time to … oh. I could swear that angel looks like … Oh well, no harm in going up there for a little chat. _ After I climbed up the wall, I shifted into human form and said something I knew Crowley would recognize, even if he didn’t recognize me. “Well that went down like a lead balloon,” I told him casually.

“W… What did you say?” he asked nervously. This is far too much like our first meeting, but at the same time can’t be more different.

“I said, that went down like a lead balloon,” I repeated, still copying the words he had said on our first meeting.

“Aziraphale?” he asked. I winced at the memory of my old name. “Oh, they probably gave you a new one, didn’t they? How about we do this again? I’m Raphael. You knew me as Crowley.”

“I’m Ziranofal. Yes, my name is  **still** hard to pronounce,” I laughed awkwardly. Trying to fill in the silence left after our re-introduction, I took a bite of an apple I had taken from the tree.  _ That just made this worse, didn’t it.  _ After quickly swallowing, I asked innocently, “Care for a bite?”  _ Just be quiet, Ziranofal, you’re only making this worse.  _ “You still look strange in black … Ziranofal,” Crowl… Raphael told me softly.  _ He sounds … different.  _

“You don’t look that normal in white, Raphael,” I shot back, throwing the apple at his head. He glared at me angrily as I laughed at the look that was on his face when the apple hit him.

“That was not very … nice,” he said in shock. I laughed so hard it was practically a cackle.

“I believe ‘nice’ is not part of my job description anymore, Angel,” I teased.  _ Did I just… _

“You called me Angel? What am I meant to call you if you call me by the nickname I use for you?” he asked, confusion written all over his face.

“Sorry, You must have rubbed off on me. I was still going to call you Crowley, but you look too … different. Your eyes are normal, you’re wearing white, and you even were guarding ‘New Eden’!” I said, giving away more information than I had planned. “I’m going to leave, I think a storm might be coming soon,” Turning into a fox, I scurried away before I could embarrass myself any more. 

I sat on the wall of Eden alone, thinking about how much had gone wrong. I had given away the flaming sword, not stopped Adam and Eve trial number two from failing, and had completely messed up my first conversation with Aziraphale in years by focusing on his new pitch black hair and the apple in his hand to have a proper conversation. Now, instead of being sheltered under his wing, I spent my time just moping in the rain alone. I probably should have made my move when he talked about the rain and shelter him like he once did, instead I just stood there numbly, watching him turn into a fox and run away to try to hide that his face was as red as my hair. 

I did not see Aziraphale until the Great Flood version 2.0. It was not quite the meeting that I had expected. I was determined to get on Heaven’s good side and Aziraphale did not seem to understand. When he asked me if I had suddenly stopped caring about what happened to the kids, I snapped, asking him if he had stopped caring about the “Ineffable Plan”. I did not expect to say that, let alone expect him to say yes. “W...what? Aziraphale, you … you didn’t just…” I stammered before he cut me off.

“Yes, I said it. I don’t care about that stupid plan, Raphael. I can’t understand why you suddenly do, but I’m going to save some kids.” he stated calmly. He walked away as if he still didn’t know I had a heart. I did not chase him, I knew it would not change anything. I just stared in silence as he yelled to Noah about the escaping unicorn. It was the same unicorn too! “Too late, it’s already gone! You still have one left though!” he yelled.  _ Why must you hurt me like this, Angel. I know you are in there … somewhere. We both don’t really understand why we are changing, but I can feel it. We are no longer on our side … Ziranofal. _

I did not see Ziranofal again until Armageddon was only 6 years away. He was acting as a nanny for the young, actual Antichrist. After Gabriel found out that Ziranofal no longer cared about the Ineffable Plan, I had been tasked to track him down and … thwart him. It almost did not feel real. I was meant to be the villain, not him. Yet here I was, acting as the gardener for young Warlock. All to stop Ziranofal from doing things I once never expected from him. “Raphael? Long time no see. Still trying to do the impossible?” he called. “Get it, ‘cause pleasing Gabriel and his stupid lankeys is impossible?” 

“Ziranofal! Where have you been? We have not seen each other in years!” I said trying to ignore how different he acted and even sounded. “Pleasing Gabriel really isn’t that hard, Ziran, they love me up there!”  _ They are manipulating you, Crowley.  _ The weak voice whispered. It had been annoying me ever since I had gotten redeemed and I was thinking of seeing if Gabriel could help get rid of it.

“Are you even listening to yourself,  **Raphael** ? They love you? I never thought that you could be so blind!” he sneered angrily. “Have fun being ‘redeemed’, Raphael. While you are off with your head literally in the clouds, I will be making sure that my side wins Armageddon. You have two choices and you have to choose a path. Are you Raphael or Crowley.” He was leaving me with no other choice than to break my own heart.

“Well, then that’s how it will be. I can not ruin my first and possibly only chance at redemption. I can  **not** Fall again, Ziranofal. We are an angel and a demon. We’re hereditary enemies, and you know that just as well as I do. From this moment forward, we are strangers. We are not friends, Ziranofal, and I don’t even like you. You are not Aziraphale and I am not Crowley. They are as good as dead. Goodbye,  **demon** ,” I said with as much hate as I possibly could put into my words.

  
  


I had completely given up on trying to be good, nice, kind. All those restricted, beautiful four letter words. The forbidden fruit, so tempting, so dangerous. “Warlock, I will tell you the story about the kid who ruled the world. What do you say about that? He turned his back to the fake light and bathed in the darkness of his victory.” I asked softly. 

“But Brother Anthony said that good boys love every animal, great and small!” the young Antichrist complained.

“Well, the thing is, little Warlock, that there is no such thing as good. There is only darkness and false light. You understand that?” I said soothingly.  _ If past me looked into the future, he would not recognize the demon he has become.  _ Over the years, my methods for coping with the Fall and Raphael have worsened significantly. The only thing that had kept me from just drinking holy water was extraordinary amounts of alcohol and just sleeping through the worst years. In other words, I lived on alcohol and sleep. Eating had just become an unnecessary reminder of how things used to be when I was still an angel, before I gave up my freedom to find someone that no longer loved me, if they even did in the first place. 

“Yes, Nanny!” he chirped, the flame of innocence in his eyes yet to be smothered by the cold cruelty of reality. 

“Good night, young prince. One day, you will be a king.” I whispered, closing the door behind me. Although Armageddon was in the “Great Plan”, I doubted that Hell winning it was the planned outcome. I knew that I had fallen too far into the darkness, and I was more unforgivable than Crowley ever was. I knew that tomorrow, the hellhound would come and Armageddon would begin. Only this time, nobody would stop it. Having done everything I needed to do, I went into the nearest bar and spent the rest of the night in a drunken stupor. The only thing I remembered when I woke up on my bed the next morning was yelling, “I hate you! I hate you!” most of the night. 

  
  
  
  


**Chapter 4**

I walked nervously to the door of the abandoned warehouse, looking around to make sure there was nobody following me before walking through the door. “Gabriel, I didn’t expect you to actually rezpond to my mezzage,” Beelzebub commented lazily. 

“You said you had something urgent to tell me, so I came,” I replied matter of factly. “Tell me quickly, you know I can only be gone for so long before they start getting suspicious.”

“Hell izz trying to reawaken The Darkbringer, and I think they might zzucceed,” he replied worriedly. 

“The Darkbringer?” I asked in disbelief. “Impossible, not only is it impossible to reawaken him after The Almighty Herself put him into eternal sleep, he will also kill everybody, demons and angels alike, in his waking rage!”

“They don’t care if they have to zzacrifice themselves, they are dezperate. I have tried to talk zzome zzenze into them, but they refused to lizzten. The orderz came from Satan himzelf!” he continued. 

“The Almighty will not let them do it. They will fail. There is no need to worry, Beelzebub,” I told him reassuringly as I tried to push my rising own doubts back deep down. “The Almighty will never even let him wake up in the first place.”

“You really think that, Gabriel? Zhe has not even zpoken to anybody in thouzandzz of yearz! You really think zhe will not just uzze him as a way to deztroy all of uzzz and have a complete univerzal reztart?” he asked angrily. 

“I do not question The Almighty, Beelzebub. That is the job for demons, not me,” I replied haughtily. “This will be the last time we meet in peace, Beelzebub. I want you to know that when I kill you on the battlefield, I will not even shed a tear over your dead body. Goodbye, demon.” I walked out of the warehouse into the pouring rain. I started running as fast as I could, trying to escape my thoughts. 

_ “Come on, Gabe! It’s just asking questions!” My friend was saying persuasively. “You know I can see the future of all of us, and if we don’t change Her Great Plan, it’s not going to end well. Lucifer has the right idea, and with your help, we might just change Her mind!” _

_ “I’m scared. She won’t be happy when we … what are you calling it?” I stammered nervously.  _

_ “It’s called rebellion, Gabe. I don’t like the idea of war anymore than you do, but I want to keep you safe. I can not let us all be killed, Gabe,” he told me fearfully. He held out her hand to me, but I kept mine beside my body.  _

_ “I’m sorry, but I have chosen my path, and it’s not one of … rebellion,” I stated firmly. “The Almighty would never kill Her own creations.” _

Tears were running down my face, carefully hidden by the rain. Questions were banging around my head, screaming for me to acknowledge them.  _ I can’t disobey. I am the Archangel Gabriel. I can’t question Her. _ I knew the price of questions.

It took me a few minutes to realize I was completely lost, soaking wet and late for my meeting. I groaned and miracled away, making sure to miracle myself dry while I was at it. Luckly, everybody else was even later than I was, making it seem like I was on time. It was a good thing that I would be meeting with Beelzebub, because the schedule that I was given did not look like it would have left me any time to meet with him. _Who am I kidding?_ _Maybe if we were on the same side, it would have worked. Our … alliance would have been praised instead of mocked. We could have been seen side by side out in public instead of hiding in the shadows. Too late now, we can never be together._ “We have placed our secret weapon. When Armageddon arrives, Hell will no longer have the upper hand.

  
  


_ The fool Gabriel just left, and said that he won’t even cry when he killed me!  _ I wiped away my tears, unsure how anybody, let alone Archangel Gabriel, Her golden child, could reduce me to this state. Part of me wished he had stayed long enough for me to tell him everything. About how this time, the Antichrist was a diversion and that their attempt to please Her by making a new Eden and therefore “restarting the universe” would not work. She wanted a complete restart. I know that She is not happy with how far from Her “Great Plan” the angels had strayed, and was willing to let the demons wake up The Darkbringer and let him destroy the universe and everybody in it. I can already hear the screams of pain and smell the blood of angels, demons, humans and animals. All are even in the eyes of The Darkbringer. Satan Himself could not torture me as much as the fool of an Archangel could with a few measly words.

_ I was making one of the animals for Her new project, humans. “What is that?” a curious voice asked. “How does it work?” _

_ “It’s a fly. Now leave. I’ve got work to do without some noisy little angel asking me questions every five minutes,” I told them passive-aggressively. _

_ “I think I will ask all the questions I want. The only difference is whether you answer them or not!” they bravely declared. I turned around to see a cheeky, grinning boy with wide, curious eyes looking back at me. _

_ “You’re a little spitfire, you know. I think I’ll make this animal just like you, buzzing around things annoyingly with wide eyes. I will call it a fly,” I told him threateningly. _

_ “I love it! A fly! Why doesn’t it have wings? It’s called a  _ **_fly_ ** _ , it should be able to fly!” he chirped, not getting my point. _

_ “Fine. I’ll give it wings, now it can fly around dead things. You know, cause you’re making me feel like I’m dead?” I shot back in annoyance.  _

_ “I’m your inspiration for them! That is epic!” he yelled, still not getting my point. “I love them! I love them! Will you give me some as pets when you make them? Will you actually make them? How do you make them?” I sighed, knowing that I could not get rid of him.  _

_ “Fine, Spitfire, I’ll give you a whole bunch of them. I’m sure you will get along well. Don’t come complaining when one of them decides to sit on your head and won’t come off!” I groaned. _

_ “Cool! Fly hat! I love it!” he yelled into my ear, “By the way, you can call me Spitfire if you want!” _

_ “Ok, Spitfire. I’m going to be busy making flies for you, so can you go and buzz in somebody else’s ears for a few moments?” _

The buzzing of my flies brought me back to reality. “Beelzebub, do you have any ideas about how to wake up The Darkbringer?” Satan growled. 

“No, zzir. Your word iz alwayzz final,” I replied, purely out of self-preservative reflex.

“This time, the rebellion shall not fail! The angels have no idea of our plans, so the element of surprise is finally on our side!” 

_ Angels and demons were running, pushing each other out of the way in desperation to escape The Darkbringer. A pair of black wings fell to the ground, sawed off of some unfortunate demon. Booming laughter filled the air as The Darkbringer sat on a giant, golden throne.  _

“Is there a problem, Beelzebub?” Satan roared, forcing me back into reality.

“No zir, just imagining our gloriouzz victory,” I quickly lied.  _ I don’t care what Gabriel thinks about me, I need to warn him!  _ As soon as the meeting finished, I went to Earth with a fake calmness. The moment I reached Earth, I started frantically for my lifelong friend, my only light. “Spitfire! Where are you, Spitfire!” I yelled, before my voice lowered to a whisper that I had not used in a long time. “I need you little Spitfire, I have not truly zeen you in thousands of yearzz, but I know you are zzomewhere under that mazzk you alwayz wear. Please, Spitfire. I miss all your questionz. I didn’t know how much I needed them until you zztopped azking.”

_ I had grown used to Spitfire’s almost constant stream of questions, and despite my better judgement, I had begun to even enjoy it. I informed him that, at least for now, he wouldn’t be getting any pet flies, because The Almighty had declared that all things made for Earth would stay on Earth. Despite that, his questions ended up giving me more inspiration than anything else had. “This is a monkey, it’s silly and playful, but also very curious, just like you.” I had told him, introducing all my latest ideas, “This is an elephant, it stomps around with big, wisdom filled eyes, like you might some day in the future.” _

_ “I love them! I love all of them!” he chanted, spinning around the room and laughing. I looked into his stunning, purple eyes and for the first time, I wondered whether questions were really that bad. _

Unable to find him, I sat on a bench and started crying. “Spitfire,” I sobbed, “You alwayzz azked so many queztionzz, but in the end, I was the one that Fell for my only question. Now, I can azk thingzz that you never dared to azk. Why? Why didn’t you Fall for all those questionzz while I Fell for just one? Why must we be completely opposite zzides? I know that you asked many questionzzz, but you never once azzked why. Why must one type of queztion asked one time be the differenzze between being an angel and Falling?” I stayed there, horribly alone. It seemed like She had made the weather as nice as possible, just to annoy me. Even as day turned into night, I waited for my Spitfire. I swore to myself that when I found him, I would never let go again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Chapter 5**

I paced back and forth, unable to get out of my mind the feeling that Hell was planning something big, something far more than just another Antichrist. Unable to rid my mind of my worries, I went for a walk, making sure to bring something for the ducks to eat. I might be a demon now, but I still have standards! On the way to the park, I noticed something rather … odd. Crowley’s old boss, Lord Beelzebub, was sitting on one of the benches, crying. Unsure of how to approach him, I walked to the lake and started feeding the ducks, trying to think of an embarrassing way to start a conversation with him. “Why did you leave me, Spitfire? Why did you have to be zzzo ztubborn? Will you even think of me anymore?” 

Suddenly remembering what somebody had said to me once after Crowley had threatened to run off to Alpha Centauri alone, I walked up to him and told him, “I’ve been there before. You’re better off without them.” 

“What are you doing here?” he growled, “Aren’t you meant to be influencing the young Antichrist?”

“Well, he’s asleep right now I believe that I have not gotten the full plans of Armageddon by mistake,” I replied carefully.

“Are you still in contact with Raphael? I need him to deliver a mezzage. No matter what you zzzay about how you two are enemiez, you two have been dezztined for each other since the very beginning,” he explained, ignoring me. 

“Ok, ok. I’ll give him the message. What is it?” I growled.

“Tell him to tell Gabriel that Spitfire might get the hat he wants if he showzz up at the meeting zpot at five o’clock tonight. He will underzztand,” he instructed. Before 

I could ask what in the world he meant, he had miracled away. With an annoyed sigh, I went to look for Raphael.  _ Maybe if I’m lucky enough, I’ll find Crowley.  _

  
  


“Archangel Gabriel, there is somebody who wishes to speak with you. They claim to have an important message,” Micheal informed me.

“Depends on who this somebody is, Michael,” I said. With my recent meetings with Beelzebub, I had grown more and more wary about asking questions, however innocent they might be.

“Archangel Raphael, sir,” he answered. I nodded, giving him permission to let Raphael inside. “Go ahead, give your message and leave,” I told Raphael.

“I was told to tell you that Spitfire might get the hat he wants if he shows up at the meeting spot at five o’clock tonight,” he told me.  _ Spitfire. That sounds familiar, but I don’t know why. _

“You are all dismissed,” I told him absent-mindedly. 

“I have to go,” I told them truthfully. I might be hiding some information from them, but why would it matter if they don’t know the full story? I quickly miracled away before anybody could stop me. “Spitfire?” someone asked from behind me. “Izz that you, Spitfire?”

“The fallen angels are dead. I am simply here to see who dares try to impersonate my friend,” I stated robotically. 

“We both know that you don’t believe that, Gabe,” he replied sadly. “If you believed that, you wouldn’t be here.” 

“We need to go somewhere safer if you want to talk,” I replied, avoiding his accusation.

“I know a plant shop where we can talk in private and get two powerful allies,” he suggested, “The only problem is neither of them will be happy to zzee uz together.”

“I understand the risk, but we don’t have any other options. They are sure to find out eventually, so it’s better to do it sooner. Otherwise, it will only get harder to tell them,” I reasoned.

“Time to let the cat out of the bag, then,” he replied. We both miracled to the shop and I called for Raphael and Ziranofal to reveal themselves. When we received no reply, Beelzebub yelled out their old names. I stifled a groan when they appeared immediately. “We need your help,” I admitted reluctantly.

  
  


I was very close to strangling both of them for interrupting my reunion with Aziraphale, but I knew that he would not approve. “How did you get past the barriers?” I suddenly asked, worried that the barriers didn’t work for some reason.

“We already told you that we needed your help! Do I need to zpell it out for you, traitor?” Beelzebub asked furiously. My eyes widened with realization. 

“You two are working together? What could be so big of a deal that you would work together?” I asked incredulously. 

“The demons are trying to reawaken The Darkbringer,” Gabriel claimed. I still was reluctant to believe either of them after I saw how they treated Aziraphale. “We need all the help we can get. The Darkbringer will kill everybody if he wakes up!”

“Weren’t you completely fine with that when you tried to start Armageddon?” I asked suspiciously. He looked almost nervous, like his usually unbreakable mask was starting to crack at the edges.

“I changed my mind. Anyways, this is different. This is the destruction of the entire universe and everybody in it. Nobody else seems to care, they all are just letting it happen,” he explained. I almost missed the hidden meaning of his words, just because I never expected it to be coming from Gabriel, out all people.  _ Is he questioning his precious Almighty? _

“Fine,” I growled. “But only because everybody in the universe includes my friends.”

  
  


“We need to get as many angels and demons on our side as possible,” I told my audience of three. “If we are lucky, then we will stop them before they even begin, if not, then we will last a bit longer before dying.” 

“Is that really your plan?” Gabriel asked angrily, “Start a rebellion and hope for the best? Did that work out well for you last time? Don’t you have a better plan?” I stood completely still. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aziraphale and Crowley look at each other in shock. After a few seconds of awkward silence as Gabriel stared at me, waiting for my reaction, I burst out laughing.

“There you are, Spitfire!” I laughed, ignoring the disbelieving stares of both Crowley and Aziraphale. “I was beginning to wonder if you were zztill in there, you little pezzt!” My laughter died out as Gabriel’s expression morphed from anger to confusion. “Oh,” I whispered fearfully, “You told me thizzz would happen, and I didn’t believe you. I’m zzo zzzorry Zzzpitfire, I zhould have believed you.” My heart almost broke as his eyes turned glassy and dull at the mention of his old nickname. Ignoring the confused looks of the two traitorous idiots, I moved closer to my old friend. “Pleazzze, Gabe. You have to remember zzomething!” He backed away from me, looking confused.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” he stated robotically. Unable to control my emotions any longer, I grabbed him and kissed him. I kissed him like he kissed me when I had snuck him into Eden before The Fall.

  
  


I stumbled backward, memories flowing through my head. I was barely able to make sense of all of them, they were pouring in so fast.

_ “By the way you can call me Spitfire if you want!” I was yelling into the ear of my new friend. I was too excited at the thought of having a friend to see his annoyance at my actions. _

_ “What should I call you? You call me Gabe and Spitfire, but I don’t even know your name!” I asked with as much annoyance as I could. _

_ “Just call me whatever you want, I don’t care,” he groaned. _

_ “Whatever you want, I don’t care. You have a very long and strange name. I’ll just call you Watevaya Wanidonca, or Wateva for short!” I laughed. _

_ Our swords clashed as Heaven’s first war raged on in full force. “Please, Gabe! I don’t want to fight you or anybody else. Please, you can stop this, they will listen to you!” he yelled over the war cries and screams. I didn’t respond, I just hit his sword out of his hand and pointed my own to his neck. My sword shook with my body as it refused to end his life. After looking around to make sure nobody was watching, I threw my sword to the ground. “Forgive me, Mother,” I whispered, “But I can not kill him. Please do not punish him for his disobedience, he did not know what the rebellion would actually be. Please punish me instead.” _

_ “I can not give you the punishment that is for his crime. He knows what he has done. He can not go unpunished, I am sorry,” She said in my mind. A circle of hellfire appeared around all the rebel angels and they started Falling one by one, each one screaming in pain as their wings turned black in the flames. I held out my hand, and begged my friend to hold on. He stayed still, paralized in fear. Moving closer to the deadly flames, I begged, “Please, hold on! I can’t let you Fall! Just hold on!” He obeyed, and with his hand in mine, I flew over the hellfire circle and started flying up as fast as I could. I had started flying just in time, because it was his turn to Fall. We stayed hand in hand, in direct disobedience to the Almighty’s orders. The other angels yelled for me to let go as my wings started feeling like they were burning.  _

_ “I can’t let you Fall for me, Gabe. You already chose your path. Now I’m choosing mine,” he said, before looking directly into my eyes and letting go of my hand. The other angels held me back as he Fell and I yelled his name. Even in my grief, I was still too cowardly, too weak to ask out loud the burning, blasphemous question in my mind. “Why?” it asked, “Why did he have to Fall?” _

_ I was trying to pull away from the angels holding me back. I did not care about rules and regulations, I felt that even Falling would be better than being away from my best friend. I was too weak, I was not able to go after him. I was screaming his name, tears running down my face. Nobody else had ever answered or even listened to me, but he did. Now he was gone, I felt like I had lost any purpose in my life. “This is for the Greater Good, Gabriel,” Micheal whispered in my ear before putting her hand on my head. I tried as hard as I could, but I still felt myself forgetting my friend. His name, his face, the sound of his voice all blurred and warped until I could not recognize them anymore. “He has placed so much doubt in your mind. There are all these questions, Gabriel. We can not allow you to Fall like the rest of them. For the Greater Good, we can not let you be corrupted by him,” he continued. “Repeat after me, Gabriel. The fallen angels are dead. The demons killed them and must be killed for their crimes.” I repeated their words blankly, not realizing what I had lost. _

“Spitfire?” Beelzebub asked softly. I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. 

“Did they …” I whispered, before answering my own unfinished question, “They did. Please don’t murder them ....”

“After what they did, death would be mercy, Spitfire!” Wateva, who I could now just barely recognize even under all those changes, exclaimed, interrupting me.

“.... because I want to kill them myself,” I finished, causing both Aziraphale and Crowley to look like they were about to faint.  _ Oh, yes. They probably have no idea what’s going on.  _ “I hope you accept my apologies for how I acted around all of you previously. I want you to understand that I was not in complete control of my own mind. I know that is no excuse for the things I said or did, but I still hope you can forgive me,” I reasoned calmly. As they looked at each other, having a silent argument, I turned to my old friend. “No more running. We are going to make sure the future you saw isn’t the one that happens,” I stated. 

  
  


I knew that I could not tell Spitfire the truth, despite all we had been through together. I could not let him know that the visions I had were doomed to be true.

_ Cold, mocking laughter boomed like thunder around the entire universe as The Darkbringer sat on The Almighty’s thone. Angels and demons were thrown into cells that could hold both sides. That was when the first victim was chosen. Black, bloody wings fell to the ground, sliced off of their body with a strange looking sword. They had been unlucky enough to be chosen as an example for what happened if anybody disobeyed. The same demon was found dead, with a small, half-empty bottle of holy water lying beside their quickly disintegrating body. A pair of white wings were the next to fall to the ground. Not that it mattered who was demon and who was angel anymore. All wore the same chains, all shed the same tears, all had dirty, ripped clothes stained with blood, all were going to be used to their limit so that The Darkbringer could get stronger. _

I knew we would not be able to win against The Darkbringer, but I would use every last moment with Spitfire that I could. “Yes,” I replied, internally wincing at the lie, “We will do that.” Our “army” more than doubled in size after we recruited “The Them”, Anathema, and Newton. Despite Spitfire explaining the situation to Aziraphale and Crowley, who still hadn’t explained how they had both ended up with gray wings and the ability to switch between demon and angel forms, they still seemed unable to understand how Gabriel could be Spitfire.  _ Even you still can’t fully believe it, how can you expect them to?  _ It was probably rather overwhelming to see the composed, calm Archangel Gabriel running around and asking about everything he laid his eyes on.  _ That is one of the few things that continued to annoy me even as we grew closer, his inability to concentrate in even the worst of situations.  _ “Did you make this one, Wateva?” he asked distractedly. I groaned, mentally preparing myself to have to keep the little Spitfire in check again.

“No,” I sighed, “Already told you, animals are … were my job, not plants. Stop asking about plants.” 

“What is this?” he continued, completely ignoring my frustration. 

“It’s food, remember? You really have to start trying to access your more recent memories,” I sighed again. Even though patience was a Virtue, I still needed every drop of it when Spitfire was around.

“But I’m so mean and rude! I don’t want to remember acting like one of those uptight, judgemental Archangels!” he whined. “I’m nothing like the person in my memories!”

“You have to accept that what happened is already over, Gabe. Remembering what they forced you to be izzn’t going to change who you are,” I lectured calmly.  _ I didn’t care that I was a demon now, at least one of us had to be calm and composed as we prepared for battle. I just never thought that it would have to be me again.  _ He mumbled a complaint, but thankfully stayed quiet. “You could ask Crowley about things if you want, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind answering your questions. Just don’t scare him too much, he’s not used to you acting like this,” I offered. He nodded with a wide smile and ran off. As soon as he left, I slumped over on the floor, exhausted. For the people that didn't know Spitfire, my reaction might have seemed dramatic and unnecessary, but the curious idiot was like a parasite at the promise of information. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Chapter 6**

“Hi! Your name should be … Crowley, right?” a familiar voice chirped from behind me.  _ Chirped? That’s new.  _ I nodded my head, ignoring him. “Wateva … I think you guys call him Beelzebub … well … he said you don’t mind talking with me.”

“Well, he’s wrong,” I growled, angry that Beelzebub had pushed him over to me. Whether he had “changed” or not, he still tried to kill Aziraphale. “We have a second Armageddon to deal with!”

“Did I really say that stuff about food and ‘sullying the temple of my celestial body’?” he asked innocently.

“Yes. You also told Aziraphale to ‘lose the gut’. He was self-conscious about it for the next few months.” I snapped.

“Oh. I don’t know if he can forgive me. I was really horrible to him,” he sighed. 

“Understatement of the century, Archangel!” I snapped coldly.

“Don’t call me that. I’m no Archangel. I’m not the puppet they forced me to be. If I prove it, will you be friends with me?” he asked furiously. I thought through it, and nodded.

“Answer my questions truthfully. No changing the subject, avoiding the question or only giving me parts of the story. If I ask you to do something, react as you normally would,” I demanded. He agreed faster than I expected, throwing me off for a few seconds. “Good,” I told him, relieved that I wouldn’t have to force him. “Let’s do this quickly. Armageddon is really happening this time.”  _ Time to see who Spitfire really is, I guess. _

I never expected to find myself actually agreeing with Gabriel, out of all angels, but it turned out that we had much more in common than I expected. He almost reminded me of myself before the Fall, with his endless stream of questions. Even though I almost enjoyed talking with him, as soon as he had left to check out who had answered our call for help, I stumbled to my bed and fell asleep. I woke up to see Lord Beelzebub, Prince of Hell, staring back at me. “Izzz the little parasite is now your friend? The first few days are the hardezt, but you get uzzzed to it eventually. I ztill haven’t known him long enough, I guezz,” he joked. 

Trying not to think about how weird it was that I was just talking casually with the Prince of Hell, yet another of my former enemies, I asked, “How does he do it?” After seeing his confused expression, I clarified, “How does he make you feel so … alive when you are around him for long enough, only to absolutely exhaust you afterwards?”

“Oh, that. He never learnt how to control that power. Zome beings know how to control theirs, zzome are like him, and haven’t learnt to control it, and mozzzt don’t even know what their one izz, if they even know that it exiztzz,” he explained calmly, before yelling, “I hate buzzzzing like thizzz zzometimez! How do you do it?” That was how I spent the rest of the day teaching the former Prince of Hell to talk normally. No rest for the … whatever side we are on now.  _ Why does my life have to be so complicated?  _

Around 11 years later

We had gotten a few angels and demons on our side, but I was still worried about the way Beelzebub acted whenever we mentioned the upcoming war. “Spitfire”, Crowley and the new recruits all didn’t seem to notice, but none of them had been the one doing the things that Beelzebub was. It was too late to ask now, we were about to fight The Darkbringer. All attempts to stop the demons before they had reawakened him had failed, and now I was standing with my old flaming sword with what was not exactly the most promising looking of armies. “Crowley, if we fail … I want you to know that I will love you even after I’m dead,” I told him grimly. 

“We won’t fail, Aziraphale. We can’t fail, the universe depends on it,” he mumbled uncomfortably. Before I could answer, The Darkbringer rose from the ground and blasted us all to the ground with a wave of his hand. “Fools,” he yelled, his voice booming around the universe. “You think that a pathetic lot like you could ever defeat me? I am stronger than you in my sleep!” With a ridiculous lack of work, he was already sitting down on a golden throne he had made appear out of nowhere. His cold, mocking laughter cut through the shocked silence of both angels and demons as he got himself comfortable in The Almighty’s somehow empty throne.

_ Cold, mocking laughter boomed like thunder around the entire universe as The Darkbringer sat on The Almighty’s thone. _

“Bow down or suffer an amount of pain you would never even be able to imagine,” he declared. Still in shock at how little our 11 years of preparation didn’t even make him hurt, nobody moved. He waved his hand again and we were all thrown into cages. For some reason, neither angels nor demons were able to miracle themselves out of them. Even Crowley and I couldn’t even use a single miracle when the chains had latched onto us. I hit the wall in frustration as I thought of all the things I could have done to avoid this from happening

_ Angels and demons were thrown into cells that could hold both sides. That was when the first victim was chosen.  _

Eyes blazing, he grabbed some low level demon who had been too close to him and declared, “This is what happens to those that disobey!” After making sure that everybody was watching, he got out a sword that I couldn’t recognize and cut off the demon's wings with one swift blow. 

_ Black, bloody wings fell to the ground, sliced off of their body with a strange looking sword. They had been unlucky enough to be chosen as an example for what happened if anybody disobeyed. _

The poor demon was completely inconsolable afterwards, whimpering as they curled into a ball. They only said one word over and over again, “Death” like some kind of morbid prayer. Only a week later, I walked into his cell to deliver the food I had saved for him to find his disintegrating body. His outstretched hand was right next to a half-finished bottle of holy water. I screamed in horror, sobbing for somebody to come quickly.

_ The same demon was found dead, with a small, half-empty bottle of holy water lying beside their quickly disintegrating body.  _

Beelzebub was the first one to arrive, and I could have sworn he said something along the lines of “It’s happening”. The Darkbringer was absolutely steaming with anger when he saw the dead demon. “Who dared to give him the mercy of death!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “You! Yes you, you pathetic excuse for an angel! You did this didn’t you?” 

“N-no my Lord. I am loyal to You!” Michael whimpered, cowering under his glare. “I never would dare to disobey your direct commands!” He didn’t listen and unsheathed his sword. 

“This is what happens to those that offer anybody mercy!” he growled, bringing the sword down onto his forcefully outstretched wings.

_ A pair of white wings were the next to fall to the ground. _

He fell down to the ground, begging for forgiveness. He claimed that he had done everything The Darkbringer asked, even letting him use Michael’s body, soul and mind to grow stronger. The Darkbringer walked with false calmness back to the throne, ignoring the whimpers. “All of you should be dead, but unfortunately for you, I still can use you,” he claimed sinisterly. “All of you are useful, so very useful. So much untapped power, all for me! You will reveal your abilities to me, whether you know what they are or not. Either you break from my attempts to harness your abilities, or live forever as a power source!” Everybody lowered their heads, afraid to make eye contact and end up as the next “example”. As we all scurried back to our cells, mentally preparing to be used past our limits, I was not able to tell who was demon and who was angel. It didn’t matter anymore, anyways.

  
  


“Ok, guys,” I whispered during our secret meeting, “I think I found a way to beat The Darkbringer. The only problem is that it involves a sacrifice.”

“What kind?” Gab… Spitfire asked curiously.  _ Even I can’t understand why so many people are changing their names. Did I somehow make it cool when I changed mine to Crowley? _

“An angel must sacrifice their spirit while we say these words,” I stated, showing them the words I had secretly written. Spitfire immediately stood up. 

“No, Spitfire,” Beelzebub whispered desperately. “Not you.” Spitfire looked the most serious I had seen him since he regained his memories. 

“Nobody else will do it. I need to repay your kindness. You need to create the hellfire,” he claimed calmly. Beelzebub shook his head frantically.

“No. I refuse. I can’t let you risk your life Spitfire, not after I only just got you back!” he cried. Closing my eyes, I created a tornado of hellfire. “To the world,” I whispered, holding Azirapale’s hand. 

“To the world,” Aziraphale replied, stretching out his grey wings at the exact same time that I did as we started chanting the words I had found. Locking eyes with Beelzebub, Spitfire begged him softly, “I chose the wrong path all those years ago, and now I can finally make the right one, please let me choose the right path.” With tears running down his face, Beelzebub joined the chanting. That was when the Darkbringer walked in and pulled out his sword. Without a second thought, Spitfire stepped into the hellfire. There was a bright flash of light and for a moment I thought I saw a stunning purple phoenix in the flames, but then it was gone along with The Darkbringer. I woke up in my flat, and if it wasn't for my grey wings, I would have brushed it all off as one very strange, unusually long and realistic dream. A purple phoenix soared through the sky, causing me to smile.  _ I’ll leave you to find your “friend”, Spitfire. Good luck. _

  
  


Just a few moments later, two separate pairs of an angel and a demon were kissing each other for all to see. But as close as you may try to look, you won’t be able to tell which one is which. Maybe it’s the fact that their grey wings are hiding them. Maybe because, deep down, they all knew they had only ever been on their own side.


End file.
